7 Ways to Immerse Yourself in the Culture in Sri Lanka
In every country we travel we like to experience it in the best possible way. To get a proper feeling of Sri Lankan culture it’s good to find ways to immerse yourself in the culture in Sri Lanka. For instance, eat what the people eat, travel how they travel, go where they go. Of course, in a country which is popular with tourists it’s hard to do this as there is so much changing to make life more comfortable for tourists.
However, Sri Lanka still has ways to really experience the culture. Here we list 7 ways we found to help immerse yourself in Sri Lankan culture and experience it in the best way possible.
1. Go and see a cultural show in Kandy
Indeed, the easiest way to see the culture is by going to a cultural show! Therefore, in Kandy we stopped off at a hotel where there was such a show. After picking our seats close to the stage, we read over the programme. There was an extensive list of items on it, starting from the Conch Shell blowing and going on through the different dances. At the end was going to be fire walking.
After a short time the show started with the conch shell blowing, which is the traditional way of basically telling people the show has begun. The drummers came out and amid the beats and the melodies were followed by some male dancers. With some flash moves and a few backflips under their belts, they left the stage and the female dancers came on. Graceful and entrancing, their choreographed moves were a joy to watch. Each dance was a few minutes long; in the meantime the next group was getting ready backstage.
At the end everybody came on stage together for their applause, and it was well deserved. The dances are mesmerizing, the movements, the fact that the only music is from the drums, it’s hypnotizing and seductive. With the brightly coloured clothes and the many different costumes you can’t help being entranced by it. In short if you get a chance, you should go and take in a cultural show for an evening and you won’t be disappointed.
2. Visit a tea plantation and factory
One of Sri Lanka’s main industries is the tea plantations, therefore when you drive into the mountains in the center of the island you are surrounded by acres and acres of tea plantations. Everywhere the eye can see is rows and rows of tea bushes. Anywhere along the road you are driving you can stop off at a plantation and admire its beauty. Step between the rows, see the women working in the fields, and be taken by their warming smiles as they wait for you to take their picture.
It’s hard to imagine how big these plantations are until you see them. They stretch forever. They dominate the landscape with their vivid greenery. Definitely you will be amazed at their vastness and numbers.
Stopping off at a tea factory, where they process the tea, you will learn about how the famous Ceylon tea is made. From a leaf to a cup of golden nectar sitting on your breakfast table every morning. The factory guide will take you through the factory and explain all the different machines used, what purpose each one has and how they work. Some of the machines are old but still function perfectly. One fact we found interesting is that the lowest quality tea is set aside for putting into tea bags.
After the tour, it’s the obligatory stop off at the shop. You will get different teas to sample. Among them may be the white and golden teas which are beneficial for health purposes. Sit back and enjoy a cup, and the choice is yours whether you want to purchase some or not.
3. See a working Moonstone mine
The moonstone is a gem from the feldspar group. After working it, the effect it gives is similar to looking at a full moon in the night sky. Sri Lanka is one of the countries where this is mined. The mining conditions are tough. All done in the old traditional way, using hand tools and no modern machinery, the workers dig the mine by hand. The sides are shored up using coconut tree trunks and the inside of the mine is covered by ferns to stop water penetrating the mine. In the mine itself, the work is done by candlelight. In the same way as miners in the old days did with a canary, this acts as a warning to any lack of oxygen in the mine. If the candle goes out, then you get out of the mine quickly!
Working in the Mine
On the surface, the spoil is taken up using buckets and a hand operated winch. This is then taken to a washing and sieving area where it is cleaned using a pan similar to gold panning. Any stones that remain in the pan are then checked and the moonstones are removed. The men working in these mines are tough and hardy. Years of working in the mines have taken a toll on their bodies.
We were amazed that these are still the working conditions in the mines. The operator of the mine told us that it is government regulation regarding environmental procedures that force them to do this. With this in mind no machines are allowed.
Again, after the tour, it’s off to the workshop and the shop itself. You can see the craftsmen polishing the stones, and creating the jewelry that the stones will eventually sit in. The moonstone isn’t an expensive stone to buy, so for a nice keepsake of Sri Lanka, it is a nice little thing to purchase if you feel like it.
4. Try the local foods
One of the most famous things about Sri Lankan culture is its food. Being notorious for being spicy and designed to blow your head off, it is something that you have to try! The most common dish you will see in places is the Sri Lankan rice and curry.
Coming out in a minimum of five different plates, the curry has four different parts to it. The meat part, which can be chicken, lamb, or fish, the potato curry, the lentil curry or dhal as it is known, and the cabbage curry. You will also likely get some popadoms and mango chutney. Be warned, if you ask for the spicy version then that is exactly what you will get! It’s totally in contrast to the type of spicy that the western world is used to! We had the mild and it was still enough to leave a volcano in our mouths!
As well as the curry, the local fresh fruit is highly refreshing. For breakfast, we always enjoyed a plate of fresh fruit every morning. Melons, bananas, papayas, and pineapple being the most common. As you pass through the countryside and in some of the attraction sites, you will see people selling coconuts. Don’t be afraid to try one. Watch as the vendor chops the top off and punches a hole in the shell for you to drink out of. If you really want to sample as a local does, don’t use the straw they give you. Just put the coconut to your lips and enjoy the refreshing juice flow down your throat. It’s not an easy thing to do right first time! I think I ended up with more on my shirt and chin than in my mouth!
Sample a Local Homestead
We also stopped off at a local homestead on our first day for lunch. In this house all the food was made fully from scratch. We watched as the spices were ground in front of us. The coconuts were opened and the milk used for the curries. Everything was done using no modern cooking appliances, just basic tools and a fire. Eating here you don’t use a fork or spoon, you eat in the traditional way, with your fingers. It can be a little messy if you’re not used to it but its all part of experiencing the culture.
5. Take a train journey
The infamous Sri Lankan train journey. Most people have probably seen the pictures of packed trains with people hanging out of them. If you fear this, don’t. The train you will likely be getting will be full of tourists also and is not overcrowded at all. You will pass the tea plantations, the jungles, the mountains, the local villages, and get to see a large portion of the beauty of Sri Lanka in one trip.
For those who like the thrill of adventure, you can sit in the open carriage door and get to feel the wind in your face as you breeze through the countryside. It has a certain romance about it and feels like the stories about train journeys in the early 20th century when exploring was taking off.
Just take care to watch out ahead of you for upcoming tunnels or any other obstructions which may hit you as you go past. Also for people walking along the track as you don’t want to be hitting them while swinging your leg!
6. Visit some of the temples
We have already mentioned the temples in a previous post, so we won’t go into too much detail here. But you definitely should take some time out to visit a few of them. Although some are more spectacular than others. But all have a history. Therefore each one of them is a symbol of Sri Lanka and its culture. Walking around temples you will see people paying their respects, praying to Buddha, and being at peace with themselves. Respect this, observe them as they go about their prayers, and enjoy the tranquility and the harmony that emanates from these holy places.
Take care, when taking pictures in temples or anywhere there is a statue of Buddha, do not stand with your back to Buddha! It is highly disrespectful to the people. Also in the temples you are supposed to take pictures of Buddha only and not people, so it is better not to be obvious when you are posing in a temple. Make it look as if the person taking the picture is capturing Buddha and not you.
For our link to the previous post highlighting the temples and ruins we visited, see this link; https://www.breakingbarriers.online/7-temples-ruins-we-visited-in-sri-lanka/.
7. Take a walk in a marketplace
One of the best places to see and feel how the locals are is the market places. Whether this is a market place in a local town that sells only fruit and veg, or if it is a larger one in a city that sells all sorts of things the experience is guaranteed to make you feel what the locals feel.
Take a walk around, listen to the sounds of the haggling and the bargaining, take in the smells of any local foods cooking in the background. Stop and pay attention to the movements of the crowds and the people. Stand back and watch the street sellers sell their wares, or the organizers for the local buses manage the queues. These are all things that you may not notice as you walk around but which are all part of the local ways.
So that is our list of 7 ways to immerse yourself in the culture in Sri Lanka. To truly experience the great things this country has to offer and to enjoy it, it is worth doing at least some of these things. However we did find ourselves veering away from the places that had shops attached to them as there can be a major influence put on trying to sell you something. We’re not talking about local markets here but rather touristy areas. We don’t agree with people changing the way they do something for the sake of selling something and a people’s culture and traditions should always be kept this way. It’s what makes traveling so special, learning and experiencing about the different cultures in the world.
Our Sri Lanka Travel Guide
- For our Sri Lanka Travel Guide with information for people looking to travel to Sri Lanka please click here.